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Shooting for the right target Chamber recognizes Class of 2014 honors students

More than 150 potential honor graduates were recognized at the annual Cabot High School Honor Graduate Luncheon, sponsored by the Cabot Chamber of Commerce and held at First Baptist Church.

Students were welcomed by Pat Hagge, chairman of the Chamber Education Committee.

Invocation was by Trey Johnston, First Baptist student pastor.

Mayor Bill Cypert also made remarks on the day.

Keynote speaker was John Miller, class of 2004, who gave three targets to success.

Miller built his address around Matthew Emmons, American competition rifle shooter in the 2004 summer Olympics at Athens, Greece.

Emmons was in the final round, one shot away from a Gold Medal. “So far in first place that all Emmons has to do is hit his target,” Miller said.

Emmons aimed, fired, and hit a bull’s eye. But the bull’s eye was in the wrong target. He had done what is called crossfire, shot into the wrong firing lane, and received zero points – instead of a Gold Medal, Emmons placed eighth, Miller said.

Despite being the best, “You can’t succeed if you shoot at the wrong target; you will fail,” Miller said.

All the students are finishing high school, an important part of life. Now with the rest of life coming, “I don’t want you to look up one day and realize that you have shot the wrong target.”

“I am going to give you three targets that, if you shoot for these, I guarantee you will not fail,” Miller said.

Target No. 1 is to get involved, Miller said. The memories of college are of people, not the academic experiences. “Times with people, conversations with people, events with people … it is not what you know, but who you know,” he said.

Target No. 2, “It should go without saying, but – study,” Miller said. Study in college is not the same as high school, and on his first test, he got a D, he recalled.

“I never made a D on a test in my life before this. I’m starting college off with a D? Are you kidding?”

“Whatever you think is study, do ten times that,” Miller remarked.

“The third target, the one I think is most important of all; Jesus,” Miller said. “Not church, not Christianity, but Jesus. There is a difference.”

If going to church is not established early, “You are never going to go back,” Miller said.

“But, if it is just going on Sundays, and during the week it’s just dead … What’s the point?” Miller asked.

He is the only stabilizer to all parts of life whether career, friendships, study, marriage.

“There are a lot of targets out there; there are a lot of things out there to do. I don’t want you to look up one day and realize you have been a Mattew Emmons and you shot at the wrong target. I want you to succeed; get involved, study, Jesus.”

Each of the students at the lunch introduced themselves told of future schools and courses of study.

Hagge asked the class to consider returning to their hometown with their careers.

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